The Assistant
by CrystalIceSweet
Summary: What if Pepper's mother got sick and Pepper had to leave Tony in order to take care of her? Enter Harry Potter, 25, gorgeous and mysterious as hell. Oh, he's also Tony's new assistant. AU. SLASH. Cameo from DC and other Marvel characters. Various Pairings. NEW CHAPTER! 05-04-14
1. Changes

**Summary**: What if Pepper's mother got sick and Pepper had to leave Tony in order to take care of her? Enter Harry Potter, 25, gorgeous and mysterious as hell. Oh, he's also Tony's new assistant. AU. SLASH.

**A/N:** The Avengers will come in in later chapters. I'm open to suggestions to what you want to see. There will be cameo from DC characters as well Marvel characters. This happens after Tony discover a cure for his poisoning (during Iron Man II). I also changed when he finds it so he didn't have time to make Pepper CEO and hire Natasha.

The End Pairings are still up for debate.

* * *

_**Changes**_

Tony Stark was many things.

He was a billionaire; a genius; a playboy and a crappy friend (according to many people including Pepper). But what he wasn't was someone who was easily surprised. In fact, one had to be really creative to even manage to garner a reaction from Tony because he had learnt from an early age that in order to survive in this world, one had to roll with the punches. But apparently, that rule did not apply when it came to Pepper Potts.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Tony asked, mouth wide open in shock. Out of all the people he had expected to one day decide they had enough of him and pack their bags and go, Pepper was the last on that list. Over the years, he had started to depend on Pepper, saw her as an equal instead of his employee. To have all that thrown in his face was like a punch to the gut.

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"I'm not resigning you idiot," she said somewhat fondly, "My mom fell down the stairs and since I'm her only child, I'm taking some time off to take care of her."

"Oh," Tony said, suddenly feeling ridiculous. He leant back in his leather chair, hands stapled under his chain as he regarded Pepper. "Of course. Well, I wish your mother a speedy recovery."

"Thank you Tony," Pepper replied politely, eyes glinting in amusement, "I know you can't function without an assistant so I went and took the liberty of hiring a replacement."

This got Tony's attention.

"A replacement?" he choked, sitting back up straight, "Pepper! Why haven't I been informed of this?"

"Because I know you would object," Pepper said matter of factly, "His name is Harry Potter and he will be here tomorrow morning. I expect you to treat him with respect and if I ever discover you didn't, you'll have to answer to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Tony mumbled, reasonably cowed under Pepper's glare. He sank back in to his seat and wondered just when Pepper had started to run his life for him.

"I just want you to be well taken care of while I'm gone," the woman continued, her tone a little bit less harsh, "Tony, you know I worry about you."

"Fine," Tony pouted, arms crossed. He knows that there's no way he'll be able to change Pepper's mind once she gets an idea in her head. "Do I get to see his file before tomorrow or will it be a surprise?"

In lieu of a verbal answer, Pepper handed over the manila folder she had brought with her and watched as Tony carefully opened it to read the content. Tony scanned the first page.

**Name**: Harry James Potter

**Age**: 25

**Photo**:

_Here, Tony stopped to stare because Harry Potter was truly a gorgeous specimen of a man. Messy black hair, inviting smile and a pair of the most stunning emerald orbs that Tony had ever come across. He was so glad the photo was in color. Although it was too bad it was just a head shot. But, it didn't matter, he'll meet him tomorrow anyway._

**Children**: 1. Boy. Age 5. Name: Theodore Potter, nicknamed Teddy.

**Spouse**: None.

_No mother in the picture, Tony noticed with glee._

**Recommended by**:…

Tony's eyes widened as he read through the truly spectacular list of names of recommendations Pepper had noted down; names including the Prime minister of Britain and the American President himself. For a moment, he had thought that Pepper was playing a joke on him because there's no way all this was real. Someone as well connected as this Harry seemed to be must have better opportunity then working as an assistant for Tony Stark.

"Who on earth is this guy?" he gasped, looking up at Pepper in awe.

Pepper shrugged.

"I don't know actually. He just appeared a few days ago, saying he wanted to apply for the job. I didn't expect much since he was really young but after I saw his credentials, he was a clear choice."

"I can see why," he mumbled, as he continued to read. Unfortunately, apart from the recommendations, there weren't any further information about him. No school record, no address. Just a history of past employers, some of which Tony was well-acquainted with.

"Wayne Enterprises," Tony said in recognition. He had met Bruce Wayne a few times in the past. They weren't exactly friends but ran in the same circles. "And he was personal secretary to Bruce Wayne himself. I wonder why he quit."

"Well," Pepper piped up, getting up from her seat, "You'll have to ask him yourself. I'm afraid I have to leave now. I still haven't packed and my plane leaves in 4 hours. I'm really sorry this is so last minute but you were out of contact for the past few days."

"Oh of course," Tony said quickly, looking up. "Have a good trip Pepper."

She smiled, kissed him on the cheek and was out the door in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Harry woke up warm and well-rested, his body still a little bit sore from last night's activities. It didn't bother him though; the ache would dissipate in a few hours, just in time for him to catch the plane for Malibu.

He yawned lazily, not really wanting to get out of bed when he was so comfortable. His bedmate seem to have the same idea because the arm he had snaked around Harry's waist during the night, tightened and pulled the young man even closer.

"Bruce," Harry said disapproving, even though he was feeling nothing of the sort. "I have to go. I have to get dressed before Alfred stumbled in here and has a heart attack."

"He's used to it," Bruce mumbled in to Harry's arm, "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay?"

Harry laughed a little but didn't reply. Instead, he extricated himself from the other man's grip and slid out of bed. He shivered a little as his feet came in to contact with the cold floor but he ignored the discomfort as he bent down to retrieve the cloth he had discarded half-hazardedly the previous evening in a fit of passion. With a wave of his hand, the clothing were once again pressed and clean, ready for him to wear.

"I wish I could do that," Bruce commented, having propped himself on to his elbows and looking at Harry with interest.

"But you have your superhero gig," Harry replied, smiling softly, "I think that's a nice trade-off."

He dressed quickly, first pulling on his underwear than his pants. The silk dress shirt went next, followed by his suit jacket and tie. Once everything was in place, Harry turned to look at himself in the full-body mirror conveniently situated near the closet door. He straightened his tie, passed a hand through his hair before deeming his appearance satisfactory.

"Where are you going anyway?" Bruce grumbled.

Harry Potter looked over his shoulder at the truly marvelous sight of Bruce Wayne sprawled out naked on his king-sized bed, displaying his body with no care in the world. The man was truly a sight to behold and Harry knew he was lucky to be one of the few Bruce deigned interesting enough to take to bed. It was too bad this will have to remain a one night stand.

"I'm needed in Malibu tomorrow," he replied, smiling.

"And why are you going there?" Bruce asked, eye brows raised. He stretched luxuriously and if Harry spent more than a passing glancing at his rippling muscles? Then who can blame him.

"I'll be starting my new job as Tony Stark's assistant," Harry told him.

Bruce choked.

"Oh god, you got to be kidding me."

The young man laughed a little at the billionaire's reaction before sobering.

"I'm not joking," he said softly, "Although I still don't understand why you have this thing against Mr. Stark. I thought since you are both rich and good-looking, you would get along."

Bruce made a face.

"I met Tony a couple of times," he admitted, "But the man is just so self absorbed. I can't see myself being his friend."

Harry hmmed non-committedly, gaze returning to the mirror.

"Well, I'll just have to see for myself but thank you for the warning."

Bruce groaned and leant back on to his pillows.

"You're in for a tough ride that's for sure."

**TBC.**


	2. Competence

_**Competence**_

* * *

"Bruce Wayne on line one sir," Jarvis informed him, his voice cool and collected as always. Tony however wasn't immune to the unexpected call. He could barely remember the last time Bruce had contacted him this early in the day.

"Did he tell you what he wanted?" Tony asked his AI, as he dragged his lab phone towards him to get ready to take the call. His desk was a mess of papers and pens; documents and forms he has to sign but still hasn't bothered to it. Pepper was right; without her around to boss him to do his work, Tony really can't seem to find the motivation to it himself.

"No sir," Jarvis intoned dryly, "But if you would take the call, I'm sure he'll tell you himself."

Tony rolled his eyes, wondering why he had thought it a good idea to give his AI a personality of all things. Jarvis had taken to sarcasm as a duck took to water. Tony was lucky that his other bots – namely Dum-E, Butterfingers and You – hadn't taken up the practice as well. Especially Dum-E since he was already a disaster in the lab without being able to sass Tony without a word.

Tony sighed, knowing Jarvis was right, so reached out a hand, took hold of the receiver and accepted the call.

"Stark," he said, "What can I do you for?"

"You lost me my assistant Stark," Bruce said without preamble, sounding not exactly mad but more like he was pouting. "How are you going to repay me?"

"I didn't steal anything from you," Tony retorted, "Your assistant came by his own volition so I don't owe you anything. Maybe you should think about what you did to make him leave."

"I didn't do anything," Bruce protested, "I was perfectly nice to him, brings him to lunch, gives him flowers and even gives him massages when he's tense."

"Sounds more like a lover than an assistant," Tony commented dryly.

"Can you blame me?" Bruce asked almost dreamingly and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye Bruce," he said before hanging up.

* * *

"Hello,"

"Son of a bitch," Tony cursed, jumping in surprise at the fact he was suddenly no longer the only one in the room anymore.

"What?"

He turned quickly and found himself face to face with the same young man whose picture he had seen just the previous day. Dressed to impress in a black suit that probably cost a pretty penny, the man was truly a sight to behold. If Tony's heart wasn't threatening to jump out of his chest, the arc reactor be dammed, he would be more appreciative of the eye candy in front of him.

"Where on earth did you come from?"

"I was here for a long while," his companion answered, smiling wickedly back at Tony, "You were too distracted to notice."

Tony really doubted that was the case but since he had been pretty distracted, he decided to let the matter drop.

"Now Mr. Stark," Harry said, smile gone and expression going serious. Tony noticed that he was also carrying a leather clad agenda and a pen. "You have a lunch meeting with Mr. Kellen from Cobra Inc. The meeting had been scheduled for 12:30."

Tony made a face at that. There was no words strong enough to describe how much he despised the other man. He was creepy as hell and smelled like old socks. Sure he has a technology that might or might not interest Tony to some extent but the billionaire had decided some time ago that life's too short – especially for him – to pretend to like someone just so they can give you stuff. Besides, he can always build a replica; he was a genius after all. All in all, Tony didn't want anything to do with him if he could help it. However, for some inane reason, Pepper liked him so that was the only reason he ever agreed to this farce.

"Sure, sure, I'll tell Happy to wait for me in front," he said, mentally thinking of ways to get out of this meeting. Sure Pepper won't be happy if ever she found out he had skipped but since she's not here right now, Tony didn't really care.

"Oh no Mr. Stark," Harry said, almost as if reading his mind, "I'll be telling Mr. Hogan myself. After all, I still have to introduce myself to him if I'm to accompany you to your meeting."

"What!" Tony gaped, aghast, "You're coming with me?"

"Why of course Mr. Stark," Harry replied innocently, eyes gleaming in the sunlight, "what sort of assistant will I be if I don't come with you? Or do you have some reason why you would not want me to accompany you."

Since admitting that he didn't want company because he wanted a chance to slip away was out of the question and would probably result in a call to Pepper, Tony grumbled under his breath and resisted the urge to pout like a five year old.

When Harry was gone – off to fetch Tony a coffee from the local coffee house, Tony called Bruce once more.

"You can have him back," Tony said in lieu of greeting, "He actually seems competent and you know how I can't stand that."

Bruce's laughter was his only answer.

* * *

"How's life with Tony Stark?" Andromeda asked as Harry walked through the door of the small manor house on the outskirts of Malibu that he shared with the woman and his son. Harry closed the door behind him with a soft click, put down his briefcase – Hermione had insisted even though Harry didn't understand the necessity – and found it in himself to give Andy a tired smile.

"Tiring, that's for sure," he replied, going to the kitchen for a glass of water, "It's like dealing with a five years old. Did you know he actually hid himself in a closet to avoid going to his meeting?"

"Pepper didn't warn you about all that?"

Harry snorted.

"I knew she looked a little bit too happy to leave. The woman must be a saint if she really does live with Mr. Stark on top of being his assistant 24/7. I'm only doing from 6 to 8 and I'm already knackered."

Andy gave him a look.

"Why are you doing this anyway? You're probably one of the richest man under 30; you could be enjoying life, travelling, spending time with your son. And yet you have debased yourself to being nothing but a glorified servant."

"Now that's not nice," Harry pouted. He flopped down on the sofa and closed his eyes, enjoying the softness beneath his body. "I'll have you know, a personal assistant is extremely important. I bet Stark won't survive a day without someone organizing his life."

"But that doesn't explain why you have to do it," Andy persisted, eyes refusing to leave his form. Harry could feel the stare even with his eyes closed.

"You know I can't tell you that," he replied softly, "I…let's just say that Tony Stark needs me even if he doesn't know it yet. I've Seen it."

"Well," the older woman grumbled, "Who am I to dispute those holy visions of yours?"

Harry beamed at her.

"Just be careful, will you?"

"Always."

**TBC**.


	3. Kitty Cat

**Kitty Cat**

**A/N: **This is not meant to be taken too seriously.** Enjoy.**

**Changed the location from New York to Malibu where Stark Industries HQ is situated.**

* * *

_2 years ago_

Bruce Wayne let out a sigh of contentment as he took a sip of his morning coffee – black espresso, hot, just the way he liked it – and enjoyed the way the liquid slid down his throat and warmed up his entire body. It was already 10 in the morning and normally Bruce would already be elbows deep in paper work thanks to the assistant from hell that Alfred had hired in hopes of keeping Bruce in line, but today, said-assistant took the day off, giving Bruce enough leeway to permit himself to sleep in. Ah, such was the good life.

Bruce stretched luxuriously, mind already going towards the wonderful he had planned. He was going to watch TV – there were a lot of shows he had missed thanks to his job (day time and night time) and wanted to catch up – and eat crappy TV dinner – nothing like the healthy shit that Harry insisted to feed him – and just basically waste the day away. Then when Harry comes home, he would pretend to have suffered a head injury of some kind, lie that he had already called a doctor and said-doctor told him that bed rest was mandatory, and maybe guilt his way to two or three more days of undisrupted rest. Bruce resisted the urge to laugh manically like those villains in movies.

And it was then he heard something that he had never heard in his penthouse before. A small meow, like the desperate call of a kitten.

Bruce swung around and nearly felt his heart stop when he saw a black bundle of fur on his window sill, begging to be let in. Normally that shouldn't cause any alarm because wild cats were quite common in these areas, but the thing was, Bruce's window sill just happened to be on the 20th floor of a high-rise building.

Never one to leave vulnerable creatures without help, Bruce quickly opened the window for the animal. The kitten – it looked awfully young, perhaps a few month old – jumped in without preamble and started meowing pitifully.

"Aww," Bruce cooed, bending down to be near its eye level, "Where did you come from? Are you hungry?" Bruce Wayne had never been a particularly touch feeling man but small defenseless animals were his weakness. And this particular kitty was especially gorgeous; sleek black fur, soft to the touch, a pair of the brightest green eyes Bruce had ever seen on a cat, and even a tuff of white fur in the shape of a lightning bolt on its head.

Since he didn't have any kitten food, Bruce went to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of milk. He hoped that would be enough until he can get in touch with the local animal agency for them to pick up his new companion. He didn't particularly wanted to send the small kitten away but he also knows that there was no chance of him keeping it. Alfred was allergic to cats and Bruce's own life was way too hectic for him to be a good pet owner.

A quick search on his laptop revealed that there were two animal shelters near his house so Bruce quickly dialed the number for the first one. It was only when the automatic voice mail sounded that he remembered that it was a Monday and for some inane reason, animal shelters or any similar services, didn't open on a Monday. Looks like he was stuck with the kitten until the next day.

"Alright," he told the kitten, bending down to pick him up. "You can spend the day with me."

With TV occupying his time and no Harry nagging him to do paperwork, the day passed surprisingly fast. Before Bruce knew it, it was already 5 and Harry was bound to come home sometime soon.

"Shit," Bruce cursed, getting to his feet and looking around the living room wildly. He hadn't exactly made a mess of things but he needed to do a little rapid cleaning as to make sure no evidence was left. The empty bag of chips went first followed by the can of soda. He closed the TV as well as the DVD machine and stored the movie back to its original place. When that was done, he let out a sigh of relief and sat back down again.

"Alright kitty," he said, turning around to face his new companion but was surprised when he discovered that the animal was gone. "Kitty?"

He search his penthouse for the next 10 minutes but there was no sign of the cat. At the end, Bruce came to the conclusion that it must have hid somewhere he couldn't reach but he wasn't too overly worried about it. When it's hungry, it'll come out on its own.

Now, time for the "convincing Harry he was hurt" part.

He laid on his bad, made sure to make himself look as pitiful as possible and waited for Harry to come in to check on him. He didn't have to wait long before the familiar figure of his assistant opened his bedroom down and walked in.

"Mr. Wayne," Harry exclaimed, looking worried, "Is something wrong?"

"I hit my head today," Bruce told him, the lie coming out easily enough, "I had a doctor over and he told me a couple of day's bed rest and I'll be right as rain. I'm sorry I won't be able to attend tomorrow's meeting."

"Oh that's ok Mr. Wayne," Harry assured him and Bruce resisted a smug smile, "I have an idea; my mom always made this family recipe when someone got hurt. She calls it the miracle soup! I'll go make you a bowl."

He was gone in a second and Bruce finally let the smile appear. This was fantastic. Not only was he getting out of work but Harry was also cooking for him. He should have thought about this sooner.

Except when Harry came back with foulest smelling soup Bruce had ever had the pleasure of coming in contact with, Bruce knew he hasn't escaped yet scot-free.

After forcing himself to take a couple of spoonfuls of the truly nasty concoction, Bruce finally told Harry he was no longer hungry and tried to push the thing away. But Harry's determination was legendary and Bruce was truly contemplating just telling Harry the truth to escape this torture when he caught the amused glint in Harry's eye.

"You knew," he gasped, pointing accusingly at the other man.

"That you watched TV all day and lied about your injury to get off work? Yes I knew."

"How?" Bruce spluttered, unable to wrap his mind around that fact. He was sure he had no surveillance equipment in his home so there was no way Harry could have known.

"Now that would be telling Mr. Wayne," Harry smirked, looking devilishly handsome and for some reason, Bruce had never been so turned on in his life.

* * *

It was only when Magic was revealed and Harry gave in his resignation letter that he told Bruce his furry secret.

* * *

_2 years later_

"Wayne speaking," Bruce said in to his receiver, "Who is this?"

"Hey Wayne, it's Tony Stark."

Bruce felt his eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Well, well, well; Mr. Stark. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just wanted to see how the Kensington Deal is coming along," Tony replied, "You better not lose it or else I'll be very disappointed."

"I'm not going to lose it," Bruce said with a roll of his eyes, "And don't you have anything else to do other than pestering me?"

"Not today," Tony chirped from the other side, "Harry took the day off so I intend to go out, have fun and then lie to him about having stayed in all day, doing paperwork."

"And he'll believe it?" Bruce asked dubiously.

"I'm a good actor," he replied confidently and it was then Bruce heard an awfully familiar meowing sound coming from Tony's end of the line.

He froze.

"Tony," he started slowly even as a laugh threatened to burst out of him, "Did you get a cat?"

"Cat? Oh no, this little one just appeared out of nowhere," Tony answered distractedly, "I was planning on letting him stay here until the animal shelters people come around little this evening."

"What…" Bruce cleared his throat, "What does he look like?"

"Why are you so interested?" Tony asked in suspicion.

"Simple curiosity," Bruce replied, stay forcing himself to keep his voice neutral.

"Well," he could feel Tony shrug on the other end, "He's black, with green eyes and has this weird tuff of white fur on his forehead."

Bruce heard a meow again as if the cat was indignant about being called weird. The billionaire resisted the urge to cackle at that. Oh God, Tony has no idea…

"What bar are you planning to go to?" Bruce asked because he was a terrible person and wanted for Tony to suffer as much as he did.

"Starlight near the coast," Tony replied, "I'm planning to stay there until closing time. Maybe do a little dancing and see if I can get lucky."

"Well, have fun," Bruce said, "Bye now."

He hung up before he could lose all sense of self control he had.

* * *

_1 hour later, Malibu_

"Hello Mr. Stark."

"OH MY GOD HARRY? HOW DID YOU FIND ME? Bruce told on me didn't he? That bastard."

"He doesn't have my new cellphone number Mr. Stark. Now be a good boy and go back to your office. You still have the folder for tomorrow's merger to look over."

* * *

**TBC**.

**Pairings:** I already received some suggestions about the pairings. From what I can see, we have a possible Tony/Harry or Tony/Bruce/Harry. Of course, its still early to decide so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Please also note that the pairing may include the other Avengers namely Steve, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Coulson (handler).


	4. Untitled

**Assistant 4**

A/N: This takes place a week after the last chapter. Also I have decided to change the plot a little bit in the sense that Tony has already discovered the cure for his poisoning. I'm sorry for the confusion. This is before the events of the Avengers or the discovery of Captain America.

**So this happens after Tony discover a cure for his poisoning (during Iron Man II). I also changed when he finds it so he didn't have time to make Pepper CEO and hire Natasha.**

* * *

"Sir? The invitation for the annual Starlight Charity Ball has arrived. Will you be attending?"

"Already?" Tony asked surprised as he looked up from his work, "Well, I've been attending every single year so I guess the answer is yes."

"Of course sir," Harry replied professionally before asking, "Will you be taking a date sir?"

"A date?" Tony pursed his lips in thought. The old Tony Stark would have said yes without hesitation, but the new Tony Stark was less inclined to entertaining random girls for the rest of the evening. Besides, if he gets a date, that meant that he had to stay at least a while; if he went alone, he can go home whenever he wanted. On the other hand, if he went alone, the paper will start casting aspersions about him again and that is never good news. If only he can find someone who can go with him without causing any complications. If Pepper was here, he would just take her. But since she wasn't here…

The solution slapped him in the face and Tony wondered why he hadn't thought about it before.

"You can accompany me!" he said triumphantly, pointing to Harry.

Harry didn't even blink.

"I do apologize sir but I already have a date."

"Who is it?" he asked, then frowned, "Oh god, it's Wayne isn't it?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied with a glint of amusement in his eyes, "Mr. Wayne has already personally asked me to accompany him."

"Come on," Tony pleaded, "I'm just as good looking as Wayne and probably richer. I'm way better company than him."

"Material goods won't persuade me Mr. Stark," Harry dead-panned, already turning away, "You should know that by now."

True, Tony admitted, Harry has been one of the rare people he had met that hadn't even blinked at his wealth. He wondered if that was one of the reasons Bruce Wayne was so attracted to him.

"But what else can I offer you to convince you to drop him?"

Harry threw a look over his shoulders.

"Nothing you can afford," he said cryptically before sailing out the door. Damn.

* * *

Since Tony was not a quitter and he hated rejection, he tried his best to change Harry's mind for the rest of the week…but to no avail. He should have known to stop because Harry was obviously taking out his frustration on him by giving him even more paperwork but Tony wasn't exactly known for his sense of self-preservation. Besides, it wasn't as if he was hurting anyone, right?

Apparently Wayne didn't exactly agree with him.

"You really should stop harassing my lover," he tells Tony in lieu of a greeting when the man picked up the phone, "He's too polite to say anything but I'm not."

"Oh he's so not afraid to say anything," Tony mumbled, remembering Harry threatening to kick him in the balls if he continued, but since Tony was crazy, he totally disregarded that warning and continued anyway. "And why do you sound so frustrated?"

"Besides the fact that my lover's new boss is harassing him and I'm stuck in Gotham?"

Tony rolled his eyes at that. How cute; Bruce was calling Harry his lover. Tony would bet Harry wasn't nearly as invested as the Prince of Gotham in this little relationship of theirs.

"Yes, besides that."

For a moment, Tony really thought Bruce wouldn't talk to him so it was a surprise when Bruce actually admitted: "Lex Luthor is the problem."

"LexCorp?" Tony asked, surprised. Up to now, he has never had any direct dealings with LexCorp despite both of their companies being in the environmental business. He had met Luthor a couple of times (the man was even younger than Wayne himself) but he had hated him on sight. Tony knew Bruce would say how ironic it was since Lex Luthor's ego was probably even bigger than Tony's but at least Tony didn't believe in aliens. Ok, perhaps aliens were a code name for something else since Tony did hack in to LexCorp mainframe but still. He really hoped the man hadn't invested billions in trying to prove the existence of the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.

"Yes LexCorp," Bruce spat out the name as if it was poison, "We set our sights on the same company and my stupid board of directors refuses to let me up my offering in order to surpass LexCorp's offer."

"How much are they offering?" Tony asked, intrigued.

"One billion," Bruce replied and Tony gaped. What kind of company was worth 1 billion dollars?

"What on earth do they do to be worth so much?"

"Time Travel," Bruce grumbled and Tony blinked.

"Excuse me?" he asked, afraid he had misheard. There was no way Bruce Wayne, one of the most rational people in the entire world, had just said time travel.

"You heard me," Bruce snapped, "And before you laugh at me, they actually showed us some definite proof of the possibilities of time travel. This is the closest anyone has gotten to travelling to the past in…ever. Their research is incredible and I, for one, refuses to let Luthor get access to it."

"Oh my god," Tony snorted, trying his best not to burst out in to laughter, "This is a pissing contest, billionaire style."

"Stark!" Bruce snapped, "This isn't funny. They really do have some pretty advanced technology and even if this time travel thing is a hoax, I still want it."

"Well," Tony pursed his lips in thought, "I guess I can lend you a hand but Pepper would probably kill me if I tell her the real reason why I'm spending money on this."

"I don't want your help," was Bruce's reply, "I don't want Stark Industries gaining access to it too. You're probably turn it in to a weapon or something."

"Hey!" Tony protested, "I told you; Stark Industries stopped making weapons a long time ago."

"Yeah, sure," Bruce sighed, and Tony could practically see him run a hand through his hair, "Well, that's not your problem anyhow. I'll try to find a way; if it doesn't work, I'll try to discuss it with him in a mature fashion. He'll be at the Starlight Ball after all."

Tony snorted. Bruce was deluding himself if he ever thought that it was possible to change Luthor's mind one he wanted something.

"Is Luthor bringing a date?"

"From what I heard, he is," Bruce replied, sounding surprised, "It's that friend of his from way back? The one that saved his life? I think his name is Clark Kent; he's a reporter now."

"Oh the childhood friend turned lover cliché," Tony smirked, "I love it."

Bruce's silence could only mean he was rolling his eyes at him.

"Anyway, that is not why I called you."

"Of course not," Tony replied smoothly, "You called me to warn me off your boy toy."

"Don't ever let him hear you call him that," Bruce winced, "He'll destroy you in the blink of an eye."

"Surely you jest," Tony protested weakly and was not at all comforted by Bruce's laughter.

* * *

"Bruce Wayne speaking," Bruce said in to the receiver, "Who is this?"

"Wayne," said a familiar voice from the other end, "This is Lex Luthor speaking."

"Mr. Luthor?" Bruce repeated, truly taken aback, "Why are you calling me? If it is to ask me to retract my offer again, I won't do it."

"I think that's moot point by now," Lex retorted, "Haven't you heard the news? The company has been purchased by a certain P.E Industries for 2 billion."

"2 billion?" Bruce gaped. Who on earth had that much money lying around.

"I'm not even joking," Luthor snapped, "Looks like this time, we end in a tie. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Luthor hung up abruptly, leaving Bruce with thousands of new questions.

* * *

"Harry?" Hermione asked dangerously, "I'm asking you this as your accountant. Why have you spend two billion on acquiring a company that has barely 2 employees?"

Harry winced at her tone.

"I was bored?"

"Wrong answer," Hermione snapped, "Tell me or I'll make sure that wonderful photo of you in drag end up on the evening news."

"Oh Merlin! No!" Harry gasped, "You promised me that it would never get out! Besides with the current conversion rate, two billion is nothing; it doesn't even dent my net worth at all!"

"That is not the point!" Hermione protested, "You really needs to stop making these kind of purchases. And what am I supposed to do with this random company you just brought. They actually had other buyers you know; ones that can actually use their technology?"

"They were talking about time travel, Hermione," Harry protested, "What if they were serious."

"If they were," Hermione replied, "It's none of your business. And for your peace of mind, I have looked in to the company's technology, there is nothing magical about it. Their claims of time travel are totally bogus as expected."

"Oh," Harry pouted, "Now what am I going to do with them?"

"Give it to someone who has use for them," Hermione snapped, "Don't make me come down here to deal with you."

"Yes Hermione," Harry sighed, thinking.

Maybe he could give to Bruce…he did say he wanted them right?

* * *

"The weirdest thing happened to me today," Bruce said.

"What weird thing?" Tony asked, "And why on earth are you always calling me? If this continued, I'll have to reclassify you as a "friend."

"It's this company I've told you about," Bruce continued, ignoring Tony's words, "The board of directors just told me this morning that P.E Industries just transferred all rights to Wayne Enterprises, which doesn't make sense at all. Who spends 2 billion on a purchase then just give it away days later?"

"I wish I had an admirer that spent billions on me," Tony said dreamingly and Bruce growled in frustration.

"You're no help," he snapped and Tony snorted.

"Wayne, you called me and not the other way around. You know, why don't you come visit me from time to time; we've been talking a lot recently."

"Stark," Wayne retorted, "There's not enough money in the world to convince me to fly to California just to see you ugly mug."

With that said, the phone went dead.

Tony rolled his eyes. Wayne was such a drama queen.

"Jarvis, where is Harry?" he asked.

"He's in his office sir," Jarvis replied, "Should I contact him?"

"No, that's ok," Tony smirked. "I'll surprise him."

Maybe today will be the lucky day Harry would agree to drop Wayne and go to the Ball with him.

**TBC**.


	5. Starlight Ball

**The Starlight Ball**

* * *

Pepper called on the morning of the ball, sounding apologetic. Even if it wasn't her fault, Pepper would always apologize. She was so polite sometimes that Tony wondered how she was even real.

"I'm so sorry I can't make it this year," she said, "I tried but my mother is-"

"Pepper please," Tony interrupted before the woman could start a surely prepared speech for his benefit. It wasn't as if he didn't want to hear all about Pepper's mother's recovery but he knew Pepper was only telling him because she was feeling guilty for not being there. It had actually become a tradition for Tony to take her to the annual charity ball, "Don't worry. I understand. Your mother comes first."

"Thank you Tony," Pepper replied, her voice relaxing a little. There was a rustle of fabric from the other side as Pepper probably made her self more comfortable on the sofa, before she asked, her voice just on the verge of being sly, "So, have you decided on a date yet?"

"I'm not taking one," he answered bluntly, enjoying the shocked silence from the other side.

"You're not taking one," Pepper repeated slowly, as if afraid she had misheard his words, "Wow, I never thought I would ever see the day Tony Stark wouldn't take a date to a benefit. What happened?"

"Well, I wanted to ask Harry to go with me but he's already going with Wayne so I've decided to crash their little date."

"Tony!" Pepper scolded, her tone disapproving. Tony resisted the urge to smirk at the predictability of it all. The scolding wasn't exactly real, Tony knew because Pepper was aware that playing with someone's emotions when something substantial was on the line, just wasn't his style. Tony may love sex, but he preferred it when his partner wasn't wallowing in guilt or crying his or her eyes out after a bad breakup. "I know you and Mr. Wayne aren't exactly friends but this little competition between you two got to stop."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Tony protested, mock innocent. If Pepper had been here in front of him, Tony would have even put his hands up in an "I'm innocent" sort of gesture. "And who says Bruce isn't my friend. He keeps calling me to complain about his problems. If I'm not his friend, I'll have to start charging him for my time."

"Tony," Pepper chided, but her tone was considerably warmer. "You know what I'm talking about. You and Wayne has this pissing contest going on." Amusement colored her words and Tony smirked.

"If someone is in a pissing contest as you say," Tony retorted, "it's Wayne and Lex Luthor. They were ready to spend nearly a billion dollars to prove their superiority."

Pepper mumbled something about "spoiled rich brats" before sighing audibly.

"You better not embarrass Harry," she warned, "Or else I'm coming after you. There's no way I'm arranging for a new assistant if he decides to quit on you."

"Pepper!" Tony defended himself, "Harry loves me. Don't worry."

"Whatever you say," Pepper replied, her tone fond, "Now I've got to go. Have a nice party."

She hung up after that.

Tony replaced the receiver before pressing a button to buzz Harry to his office. It took 5 minutes before his personal assistant knocked on the door before coming in.

"Ready for the party?" Tony asked, big grin on his face.

"I am," Harry replied flatly, eyes narrowed at Tony as if wondering what he was up to, "Bruce will be flying in an hour before the party. I will be joining him at our hotel."

Tony made a face.

"As in you and him in the same hotel?"

"Of course," Harry replied innocently, as if he had no idea what Tony was going on about, "I think it'll be fun. There are rumors that Lex Luthor will also be staying there. I hear you and him are friends."

Tony grimaced at the mere suggestion that he and Luthor could ever be friendly. The other man was creepy as hell. Everything about him just screamed super villain for some reason. Even his company logo looked like something out of a comic book.

"I hear he's bringing a male date. I never pegged Luthor to be bisexual."

"Maybe it's a recent change," Harry shrugged, "Now is there something you want me to do? I need to get back to my job."

Tony shrugged.

"No that's it," he admitted, "You don't need a tuxedo right?" He has no definite idea about Harry's financial situation but he figured he should ask just in case. Although, he doubted that a man with ties to royalty could be poor.

"No," Harry smiled, "Thanks for the offer."

"No prob," Tony replied and waved him off. If he watched Harry's ass as he walked away? Well, no one has to know.

* * *

Much to Tony's distain, Bruce Wayne has gotten even better-looking than the last time Tony had met him just about 5 years ago. Those magazine covers really didn't do him justice. Wayne was taller than Tony – something that made him seethe in the inside. Tony had always been pretty sensitive about his height, which was way he wore custom designed lifts to appear taller – and was built like a professional model, all power and muscle, without a single ounce of fat. It was enough to give anyone an inferiority complex and judging by the way some of the nearby guests were tugging self-consciously at their clothing, it probably already did.

"Wayne," Tony said, tone levelled, refusing to let the younger man intimidate him. Although he had to give it to him, Wayne's glower was pretty impressive.

"Stark," Wayne nodded, smirk creeping on to his fate. Damn it, was Tony showing something he shouldn't? "Where's your date?"

"I didn't bring one," Tony admitted and the smugness practically oozed out every pore of Wayne's body, "I figured I would just crash yours."

The smile promptly disappeared.

"You got to be kidding me," Bruce deadpanned, "There's no way I'm letting you stalk Harry the entire evening."

"Well too bad," it was Tony's turn to smirk, "It's a free country."

Wayne was obviously about to reply with a scathing remark when a familiar voice spoke up from behind them, interrupting their argument.

"What on earth are you two doing? Standing around making a bigger fool out of yourselves than you already are?"

"Luthor," Tony and Bruce hissed at the same time before turning to face the new arrival.

Despite having lost all his hair – from reasons that no one really knew – Lex Luthor was still a sight to behold. He was dressed in a custom made suit that probably cost him a pretty penny, one that fit his muscular form to the T. He stood tall and confident and the gorgeous blond accompanying him did nothing to ruin the whole image.

"So that's Clark," Tony heard Bruce mumble. He turned his attention to the blond as well, taking in the tall figure – why was everyone taller than him? – the almost-too-perfect-to-be-real shoulder to waist ratio, the self-deprecating smile that only made him look cuter, and the whole boy-next-door look and wondered why such this Adonis was with Luthor, besides the obvious of course. Clark looked really young, as if he had barely graduated from university.

"This is Clark Kent," Luthor introduced his companion when he noticed where their attentions were, "He's an old friend of mine from Smallville."

"It's nice to meet both of you," Clark nodded and shook their hands.

Bruce and Tony repeated the sentiment and Tony found himself actually meaning his words. Clark looked really nice despite his choice of dates.

Harry took that moment to descend the stairs, looking absolutely gorgeous in a tailored dark blue suit and tie combination, his hair messed up artistically. He looked completely at ease as he greeted Luthor and Kent which made Tony narrow his eyes.

"Have you guys met before?"

"We bumped in to each other when we checked in," Harry admitted, "Clark and Lex's room are actually near ours."

"And what room is that?" Tony asked because Bruce had refused to tell him on the phone when he had called earlier.

"It's 412," Harry admitted, ignoring the way Bruce was shaking his head at him.

"Thank you Harry," Tony smirked before rushing off to ask the receptionist to change rooms. His was on the fifth floor and there was no way he was missing anything because of that.

After he had done so, he came back to rejoin the group. He found Lex and Bruce in a staring contest of some kind, frowning at each other without saying a word while Harry and Clark were discussing work as a reporter.

"It's a dangerous job," Clark was saying, looking self-deprecating, "But I enjoy the rush."

"Oh I know what you mean," Harry nodded, "Sometimes I feel the need for adrenaline in order to feel alive."

"I can give you all the rush you need," Tony interjected smoothly coming to stand next to Harry, "You know I will."

"You can't handle me Stark," Harry replied just as smoothly, not even turning to look at him, "I'll eat you alive."

Kent snorted before adopting an innocent expression when Tony turned to glare at him.

"Come on," Tony said moodily, "Let's get this party over with."

**TBC**


End file.
